1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vehicle seating apparatuses for use in a truck bed. More specifically, the present invention describes a removable, comfortable seating option for attaching to the tailgate of a pickup truck. The device comprises a foldable bench seat device having a bottom seat cushion, a back rest seat cushion and a specifically designed hinge with a tailgate jamb post. The present invention can be deployed during an event involving a vehicle tailgate as a bench seat for general use when the tailgate is in a horizontal, open position, thereby allowing the back rest cushion to be opened and accept seated users.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Tailgating is a very popular past time. It is very common to find groups of individuals tailgating at professional sporting events, high school sporting events, county fairs, parades and hunting expeditions. Tailgating is a social activity often associated with outdoor gatherings involving food, friends, drinks and activities prior to or during an event. The very term “tailgating” references the tailgate of a vehicle, whereby individuals utilize the cargo capacity of the vehicle to carry supplies and setup a temporary gathering place there around for enjoyment and socializing. Individuals may congregate around the bed of a pickup truck or sport utility vehicle to engage in outdoor activities such as barbequing, playing sports and consuming refreshments.
Typically the tailgate of the pickup truck or sport utility vehicle is placed in the open, horizontal configuration to provide the gathered individuals with a place to sit. It is very common for individuals to sit on the tailgate during such activities. While the tailgate is a convenient place to sit, it is often uncomfortable because of their rigid construction and hard bed liner surface. Alternatives to sitting on the tailgate include sitting in individual folding chairs or on coolers around the vehicle. Unfortunately, individual folding chairs seat only a single individual at a time and coolers offer no back support to the individual seated thereupon. A bench-style, padded seat with a back support can seat multiple individuals at once and would offer those seated upon it much needed back support and comfort.
The present invention provides a unique, bench-style seat that is temporarily attachable to an open tailgate of a vehicle for such occasions. The device comprises a first and second cushion, which acts as a upright back rest and a horizontal seat bottom that are attached along a common edge to a specifically designed hinge mechanism having an extended tailgate jamb post. The post is an elongated member that protrudes from the rounded hinge and inserts between the opened tailgate and the bed of the vehicle, filling the void created by the jamb. The post secures the location of the seat by restricting fore-aft motion with regard to the vehicle, while allowing a user to life and remove the seat as required. An attached strap provides a means to further secure the seat bottom to the tailgate and prevent dislodgement during use. The strap also functions to secure the device in a stowed configuration when not in use. In an alternate embodiment of the seat cushions, heating elements are provided to allow thermal heating thereof for user comfort in colder conditions.
There have been multiple attempts to develop portable and/or detachable tailgate seating devices with varying degrees of success. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,193 to Simpson describes a portable, foldable stadium seat device that is capable of seating a single individual. The device is intended to make the seating experience more enjoyable by providing a user with a more comfortable place to sit, as well as to elevate the user slightly higher than he or she would be if sitting on the bench without the use of the Simpson device. The device has a seat and a back rest that fold in half at a junction between the seat and the back rest. The device is designed for attaching to any bench-like seat, including bleachers, tailgates and stadium bench seats. The bottom rear of the device has a small gripping hook that a user catches on the back edge of the bench surface he or she is attempting to attach the portable stadium seat thereto. The bottom front of the device has adjustable hooks that catch the front edge of the bench surface, and are adjusted to securely fasten the seat to the bench. The device can be used on a tailgate when a tailgate is in the open configuration.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,203,108 to Mattison Jr. describes a portable folding-chair specifically designed to clip onto the tailgate of a pickup truck or sport utility vehicle when the tailgate is in the open configuration. The chair has a bottom seat, a back rest and arm rests on either side and can comfortably seat a single individual. The chair sits on top of two clips that grip onto the edge of the tailgate to prevent the chair from moving while in use. All parts of the chair frame and clips which make physical contact with the truck bed are coated with a scuff-proof material to prevent any damage to the truck bed that the chair could potentially cause. The frame of the chair is hollow, making the device very light and easy to carry and manipulate. When not in use, the chair folds in on itself for compact storage of the device during transport.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,676 to Edwards describes a seating device for use with the tailgate of a vehicle. The device features a pair of seats with a multifunctional arm rest, drink holder and storage compartment in between the two seats. Each seat has a bottom seat and a back support. The seat and back support of the device can be folded down at the pivot axel where the bottom seat meets the back support. Located at the center of the underside of the bottom seat, as well as the backside of the back support, there is an attachment means for connecting a contractual hook to the seat. Contractual hooks are large, broad, flat hooks that attach the seats of the device to the tailgate of the vehicle. Based on the preference of the user, the contractual hooks can either be secured to the backside of the back support the device and hung on a closed tailgate, or the contractual hooks can be attached to the bottom side of the bottom seat and the device can be clipped onto the tailgate when the tailgate is in the open configuration. The hooks incorporate a tightening mechanism that allows for a user to tighten the hooks, causing the hooks to contract, which, in turn, enhances the grip of the hook on the tailgate, preventing the seats from moving during use.
The Simpson and Mattison Jr. devices are only capable of seating a single individual at one time. The Edwards device facilitates the seating of two individuals at once. Users of these devices must sit isolated from others at a tailgate event due to the compartmentalizing nature of the arm rests of each of the described seating apparatuses and only a few, if not only one, of the Simpson, Mattison Jr., or Edwards devices would be able to be attached to a tailgate at a time, limiting the total number of individuals who may utilize the tailgate as a seating option. The present invention offers a bench-style seating device that allows for multiple users to sit on the device at once in close proximity to one another as there are no arm rests to separate or compartmentalize where individuals sits on the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,610 to Tracy describes a mountable tailgate seating device. The device is a bench seat that comprises a seat and a back rest and can be mounted to a tail gate and is designed for easy removal from the tailgate if necessary so as not to impede the use of the truck bed and tailgate for other purposes. The device also features a flat plank that is hitched to the top of the back rest portion of the device, which is rotatable. This flat plank may be used as a table-like surface behind the seats, extending in the opposite direction that the seat is facing. The plank has latches on each of the top corners that can be placed in a position where the latches protrude beyond the parameters of the plank, which enables the plank to rest on the upper ledge of the truck bed to form the table-like surface. When the latches are in a closed position, not protruding beyond the parameters of the plank, the plank also serves as a cover for the seat when the tailgate is either in the closed configuration or in the open configuration.
The Tracy device does not fold into a compact form. Rather, if the Tracy device is attached to the tailgate while the tailgate is in the closed position, the seat is laid back with the back rest portion of the device in the bed of the truck. The hinged cover plate then orients such that it covers the seat of the device, thus occupying a volume of space in the truck bed which cannot be used for other purposes. The present invention also mounts to the tailgate of a vehicle, but is also capable of folding into a compact, flat closed configuration to reduce the amount of space occupied by the present invention when not attached to a vehicle tailgate. The securing straps allow the device to be stowed in a closed position when not in use.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,824,186 to Brown describes a foldable seat system for use with the tailgate of a truck bed. The seat is a bench-style seat with a back support and seat cushions. The device spans the length of the truck tailgate. The device also incorporates a rigid support pole that spans the truck bed, parallel to the tailgate. When the tailgate is down, the device is in the open and useable L-shape position. In the open position, the bottom seat cushion of the device rests on the open tailgate, and the back support cushion of the device rests against the support pole. When the tailgate is up and in the closed position, the Brown device folds at the hinge between the back support cushion and the bottom seat cushion into a U-shape and is stored in place at the rear of the truck bed, against the tailgate, by the support pole.
The hinge on the Brown device allows the back support of the device to pivot freely and thus requires a support pole be installed, in addition to the device, as a means of preventing the back support of the device from opening so widely that the device cannot properly serve as a seat. The support pole can either be mounted into the truck bed, or alternatively, the support pole can be a jamb-type pole, meaning the pole is placed in the truck bed and extended by some mechanism until the pole is fixed in place. If a user desires to adjust the incline of the back support, he or she would need to uninstall the support pole and reinstall it in the desired position that results in the back support having the sought after inclination. The present invention incorporates a ratcheting mechanism in the hinge of the device for the easy adjustment of the incline of the back support cushion of the device.
The present invention differs in structure and method of installation onto a vehicle tailgate. Its design substantially diverges in elements from the prior art, and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing detachable tailgate seating devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.